Roman Jordan, July 7-18, 2012

(Directors: Phillip Stanley, Professor Emeritus; George Perko)

Jordan is a bridge between sea and desert and East and West and is a land of mesmerizing beauty and contrast: from the mountains around Amman to the Dead Sea below sea level. Our tour begins in Amman, then we travel north to the Roman city of Jerash, one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities with its theaters, temples, churches and colonnaded streets. We journey down to the Dead Sea, visiting Mt. Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land before dying and we visit sites built by Herod. From here we go to Petra, entering through the narrow pass to gradually see unfold the mysteries of the Rose Red City with its spectacular treasuries, royal tombs, burial chambers, and high places of sacrifice. Afterward we journey south to visit the Wadi Rum Desert and explore its moon-like landscape. This is where Lawrence of Arabia stayed and where the movie was filmed. From the desert we travel to Aqaba on the Red Sea. For a sneak preview visit the virtual reality web site at http://www.vir
tualworldproject.org/vr/core/toc.html. $2,325.

“In the Footsteps of Poets and Painters, Proletarians and Princes: Rediscovering the Bay of Naples in Greek and Roman Times” July 2-14, 2012

Residents of Naples Bay hailed from slave and freedman circles, from the ranks of the free-born poor, from middling traders, artisans and municipal worthies, and ranged upward to top aristocrats, and not a few Emperors themselves. We shall meet many of these souls at home, at work, and at Campanian play. Sites include Sperlonga, Terracina, Cumae, Lake Avernus, Solfatara, Pompeii, Naples, Paestum/Poseidonia, Puteoli/Pozzuoli, Beneventum, Saepinum, Herculaneum, Oplontis (Torre Annunziata), Capri, Baiae, Bacoli, Misenum. $2595.

“The Italy of Caesar and Vergil: A Workshop for Teachers” July 12-23, 2012

(Directors Amy Leonard, Walker School; Steven Tuck, Miami University)

This workshop for high school Latin teachers will combine classroom sessions in successful pedagogical practices with fascinating and relevant site visits that illuminate the lives and works of Caesar and Vergil. Morning study sessions will provide ideas and skills to enrich both beginning and advanced courses, with a focus on the readings and abilities required by the revised Advanced Placement syllabus. Afternoon site and museum visits will contextualize the writings of our authors elucidating the common themes of Caesar’s commentarii and Vergil’s Aeneid. While new and veteran AP teachers stand to gain the most from this experience, all teachers are welcome. Sites include Rome, Cumae, Lake Avernus, Pompeii, Lavinium, and Vesuvius. $2,595.

In Rome’s march from isolated village to world domination, Campania and the Bay of Naples were early and influential laboratories for forging a Roman imperial identity. Through a reciprocal process of “Romanization,” many formerly hostile peoples of the area (Latins, Etruscans, Volscians, Samnites, Lucanians and Greeks) came to accept a new Roman identity, even as their own cultural contributions enriched and transformed what it meant to be Roman. At spectacular archaeological sites, numinous landscapes and world-class museums, we will explore the full spectrum of Roman self-representation (ethnic, social, political, artistic, religious and individual). $2,595.

Graduate Course Credit & Continuing Education Units are available for all tours
For further information, scholarship & tour applications and detailed itineraries,
see the Vergilian Society website: http://vergil.clarku.edu/